Tuesday, May 9, 2017

It was a beautiful weekend in Charlotte, and even more beautiful for me since my twin sister came into town for a visit. It was short, but sweet. It's always special to get sister connection time. We are both photo stylists + interior designers so our loves + passions are very much in sync.

We had some fun exploring the city; checking out a few of my fav places that always inspire; and indulging inmatcha lattes at Luna's Living Kitchen.

I'm so in love with the vibe at Luna's ... it's the perfect mix of boho + mid-century, industrial + modern ... Such a fresh interior!

I also love their catch-phrase, "We believe that health, beauty + art can be served on a plate."

In the midst of chaturangas, I learned a few lessons that have me reflecting on life + career pursuits... lessons that I think are really relevant to blogging + design ... so I just had to share a few thoughts.

Lessons from yoga for life + design:

F O C U S"Where the eye goes, the energy flows" ...the words of our yogi are still resonating in my mind. What we focus on is where our energy will take us. Our intention will drive us, move us, lead us. In yoga, the act of setting an intention is a dedication. It's a way to take your yoga practice beyond your mat and into your lifestyle. Having a focus is key in yoga + life. Lately I've realized how important it is to have focus + intent in the areas I want to grow, whether personally or professionally. Focus is also an important element in design. Focus, having a focal point, is what draws your eye to what's important, in an art composition or in a room interior. Consider your current design project and ask yourself, "Where's my focus?" Sometimes we have to edit, take away in order to bring the the focal point into focus. There are so many parallels. What do you need to edit in your interior? in your life?

B A L A N C EPerhaps what's most evident in yoga + in life, is when we are out of balance. The practice of grounding your feet in position, having a specific stature + rhythm allow you to find your balance on the mat. In life, it can be more complicated... learning to balance self care, parenthood, career, relationships. It requires grounding too, and sometimes starting over. It requires flexibility and forgiveness, of self and others. In design + interior spaces, balance too brings peace + room-to-breathe. {See my last post on balancing an interior here.} What are you balancing lately? What ways do you need to ground yourself? I don't know about you, but I feel like I'm on a constant quest for balance. I crave it. If you have any secrets, share your thoughts in the comments. I'd love to hear your perspective. I wrote a post awhile back about the Artist's Way ... about pursuing the elements you want your life to look like. {Check-out that post here.} I'm always + forever seeking new strategies for obtaining better balance.

M O M E N T U MIn yoga the movements between poses, or vinyases, keep the flow of movement going. The poses, motions and transitions build flexibility, strength and momentum. For some reason, my favorite move this weekend was rising up on my toes in downward dog and then jumping to the front of the mat. It dawned on me that the movement of my toes rising allowed me the momentum to jump rather than walk. Similarly, in life lately, I've seen how one move, even a small one, can build momentum toward more and more progress. I have been wanting to build this blog for a long time, but lately with a little focus, I have made some moves to begin to make it happen. Slowly, but surely I'm moving. I'm officially an affiliate with Etsy and Amazon. Two of my go-to sources for props, home and interior accents, fashion, DIY items, etc. {If you want to become an Etsy affilate too, click here.} That move propelled me to do more research at driving more traffic to my blog. I'm learning about SEO, rss feeds, pinging posts ... Oh the rabbit hole of possibilities. I'm such a novice still ... I am wide open people. Share your insights. Here's to momentum taking us exciting places!

Thanks for taking the time to read my yoga reflections and see some interior + style inspiration from Charlotte, NC. If you love these yoga-inspired prints as much as I do, be sure to link here.

Tuesday, May 2, 2017

In the age of the Selfie, we design-obsessed have a version all our own ... the Shelfie. Oh how we love a perfectly styled shelf. What is it about a well-designed etagere or bookcase? Is it the sense of order, the pretty mix of layers + textures? What draws you in?I admit it, I'm guilty. Every time I see Emily Henderson's freshly styled bookcases, I'm inspired. Granted, I'm a photo stylist. These are the things we live for... to style, decorate, accessorize. Give me an empty bookshelf any day, and I'm ready to dig in and style away. Call me crazy, but styling a shelf is my kind-of fun!I just recently teamed up with two amazingly talented women, Kelley Vieregg of KVID {Interior Design} + Emily Decker of EA Decker Photography. We were on location in the Charlotte area, in a fabulous kitchen designed by Kelley. I had the chance to add a few styling touches, and Emily captured it all in beautiful images.

A killer kitchen, right? I mean, this is what dreams are made of (especially for those of us who adore an all-white kitchen).I so love collaborating with other creatives. I had such a sense of girl power with this shoot. These lady bosses have got it going on. So much talent, style + creativity.This brief shoot has me craving more opportunities to style, play + collaborate. I also wanted to share a few behind-the-scenes shots and use this opportunity to share some styling insight. A mini Shelfie Styling 101.I know there are plenty of tips out there for styling a beautiful shelf (like this one from Em Henderson + this one from Design Sponge), but I wanted to give you my spin on the subject. The first step with styling a shelf is to clear it of everything. That's right, take it all off. Start with a clean slate, and then start building with books + props. I typically love adding artwork into the mix, but this time kept it super clean.

Here are a few Quick Tips for Styling a Simple + Chic Shelfie:1. Balance the elements. When styling shelves, it's all about the balance. You want to balance the colors and weight of objects. For this one, I kept the color palette fresh + clean since the shelf resides in an all-white kitchen. I wanted to carry that white-on-white look throughout. I chose to balance the whites with metallic accents and added a few natural textures, like the raffia tray ... making sure the right and left side of the shelf got equal love with pretty white shapes.

My goal was simple + clean. Of course you can always add more props + layers.

Here is where I started...

The balance was off for me. Sometimes you don't know until you start to play with the arrangement. I didn't like the groupings right on top of one another and needed to balance the shapes and colors a bit. Just a few tweaks + edits ...

...and I liked the fresh result...

2. Keep the mix simple. I love a layered shelf with a mix of bohemian, eclectic elements, full of color + texture... but sometimes with shelf-styling, less is more. Streamlining the color scheme to a blend of two or three colors keeps the look fresh and gives the eye places to focus and places to rest.

3. Add something organic. In this scenario I mixed in fresh potted herbs since these shelves are in the kitchen. Plants like succulents are perfect for shelves because you don't have to water as frequently. You can also opt for adding organic shapes like driftwood or coral...or cut a fresh branch or two from outside and place them in a vase or jar (like I did for the kitchen island).

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About Me

Hi! Thanks so much for stopping by. I'm a photo + interior stylist, a DIY crafter...a lover of the beach + beautiful things. I am a stylist by nature. It's the way I see things. How colour, shapes + texture play together. I'm drawn to fresh, organic spaces...and simple, chic style.

BeSo is named to honor my girls Bela + Sofi - the next generation of sisters of style. My twin sister Pam Stasney (also a stylist, designer + set decorator) is a regular contributor here at BeSoStyle.